The Net Curtains Blog

?The 39 nets?

Some of this weeks net curtain movie theme connections.
‘From here to neternity’
‘One flew over the cuckoos net’
‘Nets in the city’

keeping your nets whiter than white.

As a retailer of nets at www.avisnetcurtains.com we over the years have come up with some suggestions on how to look after your nets, voiles and voile panels.
Just a bit of background, when nets are produced the individual polyester yarn is dyed
to its final colour. If the end result is to manufacturer a white net then the polyester yarn is dyed white at the outset.
The original colour of the yarn is often an off white/grey colour and each manufacturer has a slightly different colour “white” it works to (depending on the strength of dye used). This is quite evident as if you were to come into our retail shop ‘The Curtain Gallery’ (187 Field End Road,Eastcote , Middlesex HA51QR) you will be able to see over fifty designs of nets and voiles hanging and everyone of these are slightly different colour white.
Knowing that all these nets and voiles are dyed to there final colour we should treat them as a coloured net or voile. So when washing them from new we at www.avisnetcurtains.com suggest you should use a non biological colour powder the reason being that ‘colour’ powders / liquids do not contain bleaching agents hence holding the colour of the nets and voiles that it is being used for.
It is also advisable to use a whitening product but only from the first time your nets and voiles are washed.
Many customers who come into The Curtain Gallery complain that there nets and voiles do not stay white and look grey , most of the time this is down to either direct sunlight attacking the polyester or the way the nets have been washed. The off white/grey look is how the nets and voiles would probably have looked before they went through the dying process and the washing powder/liquids used has over time ‘stripped ‘ the colour from the nets and voiles .By using ‘colour’ owders/liquids this can be avoided.
I hope this gives you some background and aids you in your quest for ‘whiter than white curtains’.

Nets and voiles making your home a secure place.

Why is it that people tend to react ‘after the horse has bolted’?
At The Curtain Gallery we have found on too many occasions peoples buying decisions are only made after their property has been burgled, this got me wondering as to why is this?
Most of us spend a life time building up all the things that make up our lives only to have this destroyed because we haven’t given enough consideration to how to protect our homes.Nets and voile curtains are not only a relatively inexpensive way of adding vital security to your home but are also ideal as an integral part of stamping your own design footprint on your much loved home.
Both nets and voiles are great for this type of security preventing prying eyes from peering through your windows causing both anxiety and consternation.
At www.avisnetcurtains.com we have over 100 different designs of net curtains,voile curtains,voile panels,cafe nets,jardinieres not to forget a range of different blinds from alluminium and wood venetians to vertical,roller and panel blinds.
The really important thing is to keep your home secure! from an inexpensive net to luxury embroidered voile. Obviously the starting point should be budget and in most cases there is a solution for most budgets.
The average gather depending on density required at your window is normally 2.5 times your window size this obviously can be varied depending on what windows and where! For example you might only decide to have 2 times gather on bedroom windows and more on the windows that might be facing roads or paths etc.
Remember voiles because they are woven are more opaque so they are more dense at your window.Nets are knitted and tend to let in a little more light.
Anyhow I hope this gives you some ‘food for thought’ and please do not leave your decision to ‘cover up’ until after its to late!

Regards

Avis

?a whiter shade of pale?

In recent weeks our retail store in Eastcote The Curtain Gallery has had more enquiries regarding cream nets and voiles than at any other time of year.
Why you may ask? I really do not have the answer , any suggestions would be gratefully received . Normally we out sell white nets and voile curtains more than 20 times compared to cream nets and voiles.
The reason for this according to many customers both in ‘The Curtain Gallery‘ and at ‘www.avisnetcurtains.com‘ is multi-fold , firstly a majority of customers consider the ‘comment factor’ this amounts to ‘what the neighbours might think’. People passing by might misconstrue a cream net or voile curtainfor a dirty white curtain or even a house where there are ‘smokers’!!!!(Heaven forbid).
This got me thinking are we more concerned about what people outside our own immediate lives think more than what we might really desire? Once again my advice is try not to be persuaded on the basis of unfounded ideas that may never materialise and go with what you really find appealing . If a cream net fits your decor then go with your instincts!!!!
Not wishing to contradict this logic do not be put off buying white nets or voile curtains just because everything seems cream in your room . Often a room starts out with the standard blank canvas cream and beige theme however more often than not ceilings, window frames, skirting and dado rails are kept in white so although one might think nets and voile curtains may need to be cream it might be that white would work equally as well.
Please take a look at our websitewww.avisnetcurtains.com where you can order samples of both white and cream net and voile curtains.

regards

Avis

The net result!

Nets 1 interior designers 0.
For all you doubting Thomas’s out there over recent years the negative publicity given to nets,voiles,voile panels has given rise to a huge backlash. At www.avisnetcurtains.com we have seen a large rise in the demand for all our net and voile curtain products.
Even after the onslaught of so called ‘designers’ trying to signal the end fornet curtains by trying to discard net curtainsto a past memory with comments such as ‘old fashioned’ ,’untrendy’ even ‘working class’ , nets , voiles ,voile panels are back with vengeance !
Out with ‘trendy Venetian,vertical,roller and panel blinds we seem to be yearning for our roots maybe this is political posturing but we can save this for another blog.
It would seem that an awful lot of people have not been taken in by the media hype surrounding ‘interior design’ and what designers feel we should be doing to our own properties.
Our nets,voiles and voile panels at www.avisnetcurtains.com are very popular due to the fact that there is so much variety available we carry over 50 designs and have price points to suit everyones budget .
So remember never fall into the trap of believing other people know more about your tastes than you do ! The net revolution is once again on the rise and nobody can stop us!!!!

Without the inclusion of your soft furnishings a room space is no different from a million other room spaces.The art is in personalising your own space to somehow reflect you and create a safe haven and relaxing environment for you to enjoy. How is this done?Where does one start? This very much depends on the stage at which one finds oneself.
One could say ‘one mans meat is another man’s poison’net curtains?

?
so many choices and all to many decisions!
From experience a large number of people tend to start of with a blank canvas. Magnolia walls , plain carpet, wood floor ,plain net curtains. That is the easy stage . It now starts to become tricky , questions such as DO I PLAY IT SAFE? WHAT HAPPENS IF I TRY A COLOUR I ABSOLUTELY HATE? HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING TO COST?(ESPECIALLY IF IT GOES WRONG!).
My advice is that its all in the preparation. Ask to borrow samples , play around with colours take your time and experiment do not be pushed into making quick decisions. Equally however don’t bamboozle yourself with to many decisions try to choose from no more than 4 or 5 samples as its possible you start overloading yourself with to much info-try to make things as easy as possible for yourself.
Maybe a starting point is checking ideas out on the internet . Look up categories such as blinds,curtains,nets,voiles made to measure curtains,ready made curtains . take a look at our website www.avisnetcurtains.com. But always remember making these decisions should always be informed do not hesitate to call us on 02088660555 for any advice or help. Check out all our curtain categories and remember IF IT FEELS RIGHT IT IT PROBABLY IS!

How does Avis make a Venetian blind?

And if you think the answer is ‘poke him in the eye’ You have a sick sense of humour!
Primarily Venetian blinds come in either two materials- Aluminium or wood.
To break this down a little further Venetian blinds are usually offered in different sized slats for both Aluminium Venetian blinds and Wood Venetian blinds. These are as follows-15mm(aluminium) 25mm,35mm,and 50mm.(Aluminium and Wood).For more info take a look a www.avisnetcurtains.com.
WHAT ARE THE APPROPRIATE SLAT SIZES FOR YOUR WINDOW?
Well having sold thousands of Venetian blinds over the years the rule of thumb I have established for aluminium blinds and wood Venetian blinds
would be :
Upto 1000mm wide window size 25mm slat
Between 1000 mm wide and 2000 mm wide window size 35mm
Between 1500 mm wide and 2400 mm wide window size 50mm

These guidelines are by no means set in stone they are just parameters that over a number of years seem to be about right. ( Indeed my partner in The Curtain Gallery has 50mm wood Venetian blinds on a 600mm wide window !!!!).

A WORD OF CAUTION
The blinds industry uses mostly basswood timber and paints or stains the slats to imitate other wood species. It is important that if a customer seeks to match a wooden blind to their flooring, it is advisable to first order samples to ensure a match. Should a blind be made of the actual timber, the name of that product will include the word “real” eg. “Real Beech”.

When purchasing wood Venetian blinds please be aware of the two types of manufactured wood blinds available.CUSTOMISED WOOD VENETIAN BLINDS
These blinds are usually imported as a blind in a set size and cut to size in the factory to the customers requirement, this makes the product a lot cheaper but cannot be considered a full MADE TO MEASURE blind
I have to say in THE CURTAIN GALLERY our sales of customised Venetian blinds far outstrips the sales of a fully made to measure blind although slightly inferior in quality most customers would probably not no the difference.

I hope this blog has been of some interest . If you would like to contact me at The Curtain Gallery on 02088660555 or email www.avisnetcurtains.com to ask further questions please feel free.